William Nylander swaps jerseys with Rafael Leao ahead during AC Milan's Series A opener

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander and New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier made an appearance at the Serie A season opener in Milan this weekend. The NHL stars were among a group of players invited as part of a promotional partnership between Serie A and the NHL Players’ Association.

Before kickoff at the San Siro, Nylander and Hischier took part in a ceremonial jersey exchange with AC Milan forward Rafael Leao. The Portuguese international first presented custom AC Milan jerseys to William Nylander and Nico Hischier printed with their names and numbers, “Nylander 88” and “Hischier 13.”

The official account of the NHLPA posted a clip of the special moment on their Instagram. The caption read:

“Ahead of @acmilan's home opener, @iamrafaeleao93 swapped jerseys with @williamnylander and @nicohischier 🏒 🤝 ⚽️”

The trio then posed on the pitch, with Nylander holding his Milan shirt, Leao showing off a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey with Nylander’s name and No. 88, and Hischier displaying his New Jersey Devils jersey with his No. 13.

Nylander later reposted the clip on his Instagram stories and tagged the Serie A forward.

William Nylander took a vacay with brother Alex and fellow Swede Rasmus Sandin

Earlier this summer, William Nylander enjoyed a getaway to Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera. He was joined by his brother Alex Nylander and Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin.

Nylander later shared a carousel of photos on Instagram from the trip. One of the pictures showed a lively dinner scene outdoors with string lights hanging over a narrow street, while another captured Sandin laughing and enjoying drinks with a friend at a restaurant.

“Tutto passa,” Nylander captioned the post, which translates to “everything passes.”

A shot from the harbor showed boats lined along the coastline and another image featured the group shirtless and sunbathing on a yacht deck. He also posted food snaps including a tray with caviar and herbs, a close-up of a lobster dish and a cozy hotel room shot with his dog.

The final photo showed Nylander sitting at a table surrounded by thick smoke during what looked like a late-night restaurant outing. His sister Ella Nylander had also added to the family’s vacation memories by sharing Instagram stories from the famous café-pâtisserie Senequier. Her photos featured the restaurant’s red branded plates, first with a simple table setting and later with a grilled steak served alongside a cup of herbed sauce.

About the author

Anjum is an NHL reporter at Sportskeeda with over five years of professional experience in the spectator sports industry. Raised in Bahrain, Anjum grew up close to the Formula 1 and GP2 scene, but it was ice-sports that she truly had a chance to play at school.

Anjum prioritizes thorough research, fact-checking and verification of sources when reporting, and has worked for Oil on Whyte, Leafs Herald, the Nation of Blaugrana, Barca International Cules, FromTheBend, Last Word On Sports and NASA.

She got interested in ice hockey after watching the “MVP” trilogy as a second grader and has not gotten over the sport yet. Her favorite player is Alex Ovechkin, whose legendary one-timers live rent free in her heart. The iconic moment when Ovechkin reached 800 career goals with a hat trick in Chicago as the away crowd chanted “Ovi, Ovi” is probably her happiest memory from an ice-rink.

When not enjoying the game, Anjum can be found sailing, star-mapping or collaborating with fellow citizen scientists at NASA.

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Edited by Anjum Rajonno